Raac: Stroud Library closes with immediate effect

Gloucestershire County Council said the closure of Stroud Library was "purely precautionary"

A library has closed with immediate effect following the discovery of potentially unsafe concrete.

Stroud Library was shut on Monday morning after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was found in the building.

It comes after the partial closure of a Cheltenham leisure centre due to Raac.

Gloucestershire County Council said the closure was "purely precautionary" and engineers had confirmed "there is no imminent risk to public safety".

The council said it had reviewed records relating to all 442 of its buildings for evidence of Raac since August, with 119 visual inspections carried out in cases where records had been inconclusive.

A further 86 more detailed surveys have since been carried out, with priority given to schools.

A spokesperson said all visual inspections and surveys had now been completed, with the council "confident that Stroud Library is the only county council building where RAAC is present".

Plans are being made for a short-term pop-up library to open by 12 February inside Five Valleys Shopping Centre, where Stroud Library is due to relocate to permanently in the spring.